I’ve been a strong proponent of the value of small groups since 1994 — not that I didn’t encourage the concept prior to that — but in 1994 small groups became life to my wife Kerry and me. On Saturday, March 19 we received word that Kerry’s father had died.

In the midst of this my father had divorced my mother and was preparing to marry another woman. As editor of a university newspaper I was roundly and daily criticized for an Easter article I had written. The weight of depression and grief hung around our necks dragging us down. I felt isolated and attacked from all sides.

On a day when I felt that I felt like I could sink no lower a small group I was involved in had a guest speaker on campus, and after the presentation the speaker took a group of us (including Kerry) out to eat at a local Thai restaurant. It was as though God wrapped His arms of grace around Kerry and me that day through fellowship with other Christians around a table with a common meal.

I said afterward that we could have sat through a year’s worth of sermons and not experienced the healing power that God provided in those few hours of small group community. Not surprisingly, we were more involved in small group over my second year of graduate school that we had during the first. More studying and praying and eating together.

The community of small groups is critical — it is life giving — and common meals help encourage levels of intimacy that build community.

Hebrews 10 proposes that we “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” (10:24-25) The actions of “spurring one another on” and “encouraging one another” are based on meeting together – and the implication is that the meeting together is not informal, but is intentionally planned, on-going, and frequent.

I know some will say, “Shawn, I’m too busy. My time is already stretched thin. I don’t have time for small group.”

God has given to each one of us spiritual gifts that are meant for the edifying of the body of Christ. Peter writes: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.“ (1 Peter 4:9-10)

Not only do you in your busyness have something to offer others through small group, but others may have something to offer you in your busyness.

One Christian leader commented that she keeps a list of people to call next to her office telephone. They are people who are in chronic conditions, often living alone and in need of encouragement. She says that she used to post the list for “something to do” when she had a free moment in between appointments or dictating. But after a few calls, her reasons changed. She now keeps the list for her own encouragement. When she finds herself rushing ahead, operating on automatic energy rather than the grace of God, she knows it’s time to stop, move to the phone, take a deep breath, and dial the number of a friend in need.

Her experiences in calling those in need reflected the reality that somehow, some way, when we are connected in community our priorities straighten and our speed slows down. When we are connected in community, some of us are tired from our hurt; others of us tired from our hurry. Small groups provide an opportunity for the hurting heart to quicken, and the hurried heart to slow down — small groups move our heartbeats to match each other as we talk, muse, reflect on and about our Lord Jesus. Hurt is eased; hurry is quieted. Because we focus ourselves and center our thoughts on... Jesus.

That is why — perhaps in our busyness more than any other time — we need small group. Because community matters.